A Time To Give
by TheLifeLongEditor
Summary: A follow-up to my previous thanksgiving story. Here we see Booker and Elizabeth spending their first Christmas together in New York City, each trying to surprise the other despite themselves. Booker/Elizabeth (not-related), fluff, one shot.


**A Time To Give **

**By TheLifeLongEditor**

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas one and all! Happy Hanukah to one and all! For everyone else who doesn't observe or wish to celebrate, um, Happy Tuesday/Wednesday everyone! **

**With that out of the way this is in the same continuity as my previous story, A Time To Be Thankful, so bear that in mind as we read. This is just a light fluffy story perfect for holiday reading (or reading throughout the year if you want that magic) either way, it's for you all as a gift! **

**Author's Note: I don't own Bioshock Infinite or its' characters, that's Ken Levine's business! I'm just having fun!**

* * *

Christmas Eve – December 24th, 1913

* * *

Elizabeth pulled the collar of her rich blue long-coat up so as to better cut the wind on this particularly blistering Christmas Eve. The color perfectly matched the young woman's old blue bolero she once wore as she and her lover had braved the remainder of Comstock's forces and escaped his grasp to live a life free of his prophetic oppression, together. The young lamb's face held a permanent smile, for even when she had been locked away high within her tower she always looked forward to this time of year. She would decorate in the most creative ways, wrap presents to open on Christmas Day, and sing her favorite carols and hymns to the Lord above. Truly it was the best time of year, a time where she could imagine being embraced in the comforting arms of another while enjoying fire, a time to give instead of asking to receive, only now she needn't rely upon her imagination for she had her own beau in the form of Booker DeWitt, and did he dote upon her dearly when he could.

The former resident of Columbia looked down at her right hand and took inventory of all the gifts for Booker that she had meticulously selected on the basis of the private detective's needs as well as his own personal desires. She knew the man would stop at nothing until he made her dream a reality, forgoing personal affects and treatments for himself in the pursuit of such a novel course, but that's where she took it upon herself to be the supporting partner in their relationship. For if Booker DeWitt wasn't going to treat himself throughout the year, then Elizabeth made sure that she would make up for it all on one special night.

She stopped and looked up at the name of the shop in question, _Schmitts Clockwork and Timepiece Emporium, _it brought a wider smile as the young lady stepped inside and brushed the snow and cold from her form. The sound of a bell ringing indicated her entry and she continued her traversal of the shop examining all of the various clocks, watches, and other fascinating gizmos that had been created and advertised. The clockwork mechanisms had always held a certain fascination in her eyes but her dear Booker had a weakness for such articles. Something about the turning of hands and gears working together to keep a perfect record of the passage of time seemed to bring out an almost childlike glee in him. The emotions they elicited were far and beyond her, but she aimed to make her man happy and she would do that exactly.

"Ah, Frau DeWitt, you're just in time! I have just finished putting the final touches on your order! It will be out in just a moment!" Came a hearty call from a thick german accent as burly older man emerged from the back to greet the beautiful heiress to the flying city.

"Oh Herr Schmidd, your ability to make the impossible possible, impresses me to no end." Elizabeth smiled as she reached in and hugged the older man who returned the hug with kindness.

"My goodness, what I wouldn't give to be thirty years younger!" He perked up with a delightfully playful grin.

"Oh Klaus, and what would poor Greta say if she heard you speak in such a way?" Elizabeth playfully swatted the older gentlemen on the arm.

"She would be quite cross indeed, Frau DeWitt!" Came and older woman's response as she emerged with an oak box, setting the precious cargo on the counter to give her husband pinch on the cheek.

"Ah, my darling Greta, you know you are on the only one for me." The old watchmaker's eyes twinkled as she beamed at the woman who simply placed a delicate kiss upon his cheek and smiled.

Elizabeth watched the two continue their banter with a delightful sigh. She and Booker had frequented the store on their numerous outings, whenever the latter could manage some time off of course as he had recently signed a contract with a lucrative insurance company to provide detective services to investigate frauds. It had become far simpler to suggest that they were married than tell their long and protracted tale. The old German couple had fallen in love with the pair instantly, and it was fair to say that they were on quite agreeable terms.

"Greta, come, don't you wish to show our dear Elizabeth the fruits our labor?" The older gentleman offered and Elizabeth perked up at the thought.

She had cheated in a sense and opened a tear into the future and discovered that this particular watch maker would become renowned for his craft, specifically in the way in which he was able to perfectly recreate the work of some of the greatest in history. Once done, she opened another tear and perfected a copy of the most pristine piece that would fit her beloved's tastes and provided it to the man. At first he was unsure but upon further investigation he assured her he could do it and do it by this exact time and this evening, provided suitable payment with a friendly discount. Elizabeth managed to scrounge up enough money without drawing too much attention from her lover and here she stood awaiting to see the manifestation of her efforts.

"Yes, my by all means, let's see what you've managed to achieve." Elizabeth agreed as she and the pair made their way to the center right of the store where upon Klause delicately released the latch of the ornate container and lightly opened the lid to reveal the pocket watch in question.

A pristine recplica of the Breguet Number Five time piece, a series that started production in the year of 1794 and continued all the way through 1815. The most intriguing part of the design wasn't its clockwork so much as its ability to almost 'perpetually' self-wind based on the movement of its wearer. Elizabeth had enough knowledge on the subject to know that its creator, Abraham Louis-Breguet, was far and beyond his own time in terms of mechanisms. The face was simple, marking the hours with simple roman numerals with two additional dials to the second counter, the one being for the internal sixty hour reserve counter and the other for a moon-phase calculation. A splendid piece which Elizabeth would pay a fraction of the cost that those in far off years would desperately shill to find. It was absolutely beyond her expectations and Elizabeth prayed Booker would adore such a piece.

"It's…it's perfect, Her Schmidt, Frau Greta, please I must pay you more for your amazing work." Elizabeth reached into her handbag to procure every last piece of meager fund to deliver to the delightful couple. The older man gently took her hands in his and smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

"Elizabeth, you are an amazing woman, much like that watch you are a one-of-a-kind. It was both an honor and pleasure that you took your business to me and I hope that Booker knows just what a treasure he possesses in you." His kind words brought tears to Elizabeth's eyes as she reached up with her gloved hands to remove the stray collection of fluid from her eyes. If they only knew the absolute hell that Booker had gone through to secure her safety, if they only knew the lengths he went to get her out of that accursed city, the effort and gallantry he displayed by besting Zachary Comstock and escaping that city, they would know how much he deserved it all and more in her eyes.

"Yes, yes, of course I am certain he will love this. So certain in fact that we shall be paying you a visit the day after the next to humbly thank you." Elizabeth laughed as Greta clapped her hands and retrieved the box.

"Good then, allow me to wrap this for you so that you might be on your way!" She exclaimed as she left to perform the job and returned without too much delay, the gift neatly wrapped and topped with a bow.

"You two are too kind, what did we ever deserve to arouse such kindness from near strangers?" Elizabeth asked genuinely and watched as the two looked each other in the eye and back at her.

"It's quite simple really." Greta began. "The way you look at him, and the way he looks at you, reminds us of…well..us…when we were your age. It's true love dear, something you don't find often anymore. Treasure it and hold it tight, it's a once in a lifetime gift that very few receive."

"Yes, my wife is quite right, it does our hearts so much good to see young love blossoming in a world filled with doom and gloom. Be sure to wish Herr DeWitt a very Merry Christmas for us!" He nodded and Elizabeth grinned as she retrieved the wrapped back and placed it within one of her larger bags.

"I shall, and a Merry Christmas to you both!" Elizabeth made to leave but halted mid stride and turned to find the perplexed looks of the shop owners.

"Is something the matter." Klaus asked as he watched the young woman rifle through her personal bag and retrieved two brown paper packages, each tied up with intricate string.

"No, except, I almost forgot. These are for you two, not to open until Christmas day, from Mister DeWitt and myself!" Elizabeth delivered the packages happily and watched as the two exchanged looks of shock and glee.

"Many thanks to you, Frau Elizabeth, God bless you!" Both Klause and Greta exclaimed.

"And to you, I bid you a good night and a Merry Christmas!" Elizabeth politely half bowed before stepping back out into the snow laden streets. She looked left and right and shivered with the cold and gave a hearty laugh at the joy that the giving season brought. Looking up into the heavens she closed her eyes and uttered a silent prayer thanking the Lord for giving her the greatest gift of all, somebody to love. Once finished she hailed a nearby cab and made her way back to their shared apartment.

* * *

Booker DeWitt was a handy man, give him a gun and he could shoot his way out of any problem. Put him in front of any modern mechanical marvel and he could work his way around the levers, wheels, and knobs in quick succession. He was a great investigator and a modestly decent provider if Elizabeth's thanks were anything to go off. But when it came to wrapping gifts, he was an absolute novice to say the least, he barely had any grasp of how to perfectly fold and crease the papers as he had seen many in shops do, much less how to make the damn things look neat enough to put underneath a the modest tree he had procured a few weeks prior.

"Ah damn it all to hell!" Booker threw his hands up before reaching down and crumbling up yet another waisted sheet of brown paper, tossing into a nearby sack. "I swear, by God, if I never had to wrap another present a day in my life it would be FAR too soon!" He muttered to himself as he pulled another sheet and attempted to wrap the most pristine present that he could provide to Elizabeth.

The majority of his wrapping had been completed as he arrived home a tad bit early from his work than was customary. His work with Briar's Insurance Company was lucrative and helped add to their savings account so as to make Elizabeth's dream of reaching Paris all the more within reach. He was most excited when he received notice of a package waiting for him at the post office. It was the top of the list as far as Booker was concerned and all he had to do was performs some of the best investigative work imaginable to collect it. A few weeks prior he had to travel down to Louisiana to conduct an investigation regarding an avid collector's missing piece which had been valued at over $100,000, a considerable expense. But by the end of the whole affair the collector had been so impressed that he had offered DeWitt the pick of any tome he so desired.

Granted, the private detective wasn't exactly what you'd call the most book smart of them all, but he knew Elizabeth had a knack for such things and paid close attention to whenever she voiced her desires to possess certain volumes and pieces of literature. So when given the opportunity to peruse the collector's work, he spotted what he absolutely had known that Elizabeth would appreciate. A first edition _Elemens De La Philosopie De Neuton _in first edition copy none the less. The collector had been surprised at his selection, but was more than pleased to provide and promised to restore and have it shipped in as soon as possible. Well that happened to be on the morn of Christmas Eve, better late than never he supposed, but it gave him enough time to finish his other wrapping as he had managed to purchase a good deal more gifts for Elizabeth in between jobs, without her knowledge.

"Just gotta get the damn paper to stay and…ah-ha, Booker you've managed to out do yourself!" He praised his own efforts as he observed the package. It was by no means a work of art but it managed to look far more presentable than his other efforts, but this was the most important so none of the others mattered.

"All I gotta do now is finish the damn ribbone..." The private detective muttered as he made his very best attempt at a neatly tied bow upon the package, and stepped back to observe his handy work. "Well, I suppose it's true what they say, true beauty lies within." He chided himself as he stretched out. He was good at the easy stuff, paying the bills, buying the necessities here and there, earning the daily bread. All of the artsy stuff, not so much.

Booker barely managed to wipe the sweat from his brow before he heard the tell-tale sound of keys entering the lock and his beloved entering their humble abode. She was home from her outing early, a little too early, but that didn't matter he needed to hide the presents in the broom closet lest she suspected his efforts. He must have made a considerable racket as he heard the young woman call out his name in concern.

"Booker, is that you?" Her soft voice rang out as he heard her set a few items down on the table and approach the door.

"Yeah-ahem-yes! Sorry I just got home and was, uh, changing when I heard the door open. Gave me a bit of a start." He lied through his teeth. Normally he kept an 'always honest' policy with his beloved, but he felt that certain times warranted the whitest of lies and these were among those times.

"Oh okay, I wasn't sure. I'm getting back from my appointment with the physician and thought I'd pick up some items for dinner on my way back!" Elizabeth's beautiful voice sang out as he heard her pick up the items and begin to put things away. Of course, the private detective had no idea that his lover had the same idea as he, but he played his part all the same.

"Oh, thank you, I'm sorry I would have picked something up but work has been a madhouse." He apologized honestly, having not even dedicated a thought to the food shopping. "What did the doctor have to say? Anything?" Bookers asked as he genuinely began to disrobe and change into more relaxing wear.

"The doctor…" Elizabeth paused and chose her next words carefully. "Yes, he said my health was in perfect order, same as when I first saw him in the middle of the year." Elizabeth artfully deceived as she hid away her wrapped gifts in a space she knew that her dearest would never suspect nor even approach.

"That's a relief, can never be too careful. There was a guy, with the agency, stopped going to the doctor for a while. Next thing you know he's got this grow thing on his neck and the doctor's have no idea what it could be. Bad business all that." Booker called out as he replaced his dirty socks with a cleaner pair before exiting the room.

Elizabeth whirled around to greet her beloved who dressed in a simple white shirt and a comfortable pair of black trousers, a pair that she herself had elected to purchase him roughly three months prior. He had put up quite a fuss stating such items were a waste of precious funds but she hadn't heard him complain further as he wore them at the end of a long and arduous day.

"Handsome as ever, Mister DeWitt." Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips as Booker grinned and wrapped her in his own embraced before spinning her around and placing a delicate kiss upon her lips. The young woman's heart fluttered at the display of pure affection and devotion, she loved this man with all her heart and soul and with each display, each kiss, each gentle caress, she was certain he felt the same.

Booker pulled away for but a moment and took the opportunity to gaze into his beloved's gorgeous blue eyes. Impossibly beautiful, he felt as though he could lose himself in those brilliant azure orbs for all of eternity and never once regret it. Everything about this woman was perfect, to the way she cocked her jaw when she thought, to the huff she would give to blow a stray strand of hair from her face, to the simple manner in which she would stare at him out of the blue, he loved her through and through and it only reinforced his strong desire to give her the world should she so desire.

"Elizabeth, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't know what I did to deserve a woman such as you, but I'll be damned if I'll let myself lose you." He pulled her in for a tight and warm embrace and the girl nearly choked at the sentiment. Tears welled in her eyes as they pulled back and she brought one of her small hands to his warm cheek and nodded.

"Booker, I feel the same. Locked in my tower as I was, I feared I would never get to experience the world, experience the novelty of God's creation, never find love. But I have found all in you, and I promise you and I will be together forever." She finished as she reached up and brought her forehead to meet his as she closed her eyes and smiled. They stood like that for an incalculable amount of time in her estimation before one of their stomach's growled. They both pulled away with a blush and Elizabeth removed her coat to lay aside as she straightened her skirts.

"I suppose that's my cue to get some Christmas Eve dinner going." Elizabeth blushed and Booker gave her an apologetic look.

"Hey, I'm uh sorry I ruined the moment." He offered but she shook her head with a grin.

"No need to apologize, besides, we don't know it wasn't me. I've barely eaten anything all day!" Elizabeth assured with a chuckle and spun on her heels to head into the kitchen. "I'll have a surprise ready for us soon. Why don't you set the table and come and help out when you're done."

"Set the table, help with the food, I can do that." Booker acknowledged with a nod as he approached the hutch to retrieve place mats and dinning-wear before heading into the kitchen to help his beloved.

Elizabeth prepared an amazing turkey for their Christmas Eve feast, electing to wait until the next day to prepare the Christmas Ham which they had purchased in the market just the day prior. Moreover Elizabeth had also tried her hand at a sweet potato dish with roasted pecans that turned out to be quite exquisite for the pair. Additionally she had prepared a full loaf of sourdough bread and even included a hefty helping of dressing to go along with the meal. For desert, Elizabeth had pre-prepared a Pumpkin pie, her absolute favorite, over which Booker held little objection as her Pumpkin Pies had been the stuff of legend.

Over the course of the meal both had opted to share as much detail pertaining to the events of their days without spoiling their efforts for each other. Booker listened intenetly as Elizabeth described her walk through the snow-covered city, her encounters with a group of young children out and about with their parents, performing some last minute shopping, and even going so far as to ask if her lover wouldn't mind teaching her to skate across the ice as she had seen others do. Booker laughed and assured her that he would be more than happy to oblige that request.

Booker, meanwhile, told stories largely of his day, though most of it to him was much of a boring affair; Elizabeth always found the intricate details of his work to be of the utmost fascination though the private detective failed to see why, but he wasn't about to ask questions and instead went along with it to which their relationship stood all the better. He explained the certain processes he had to endure when he proved, with reasonable certainty, that one of their clients had knowingly and willfully committed fraud. Surely it wasn't one of the highlights of his days to discover such malfeasance, but his superiors were quite impressed by his detective work, so much so that they were considering bringing him aboard their institution as a full-time employee.

"Booker, that's absolutely wonderful. I told you that God brought you in contact with those fine people for a purpose." Elizabeth sipped her wine and nodded.

"Very true, very true, though I won't say anything for certain, but they were very pleased and provided a handsome bonus for my efforts. Regardless, it puts us all the more closer to Paris!" Booker reached out clinked his glass with Elizabeth to which her beaming smile brought a blush to his cheeks.

"To Paris, indeed!" She took another sip to finish off her helping before setting the glass down with a yawn. "My goodness, it must be getting late or I'm absolutely exhausted, either way I must be getting to bed soon." Booker went to respond but gave a yawn, surprising himself.

"Agreed, I think the day took a lot more out of us that we anticipated. Here I'll get the dishes if you wanna clean up out here." Booker offered, taking the plates in his large grasp. Elizabeth nodded and set to work performing her role in the cleanup operation.

* * *

By the time they were finished, they both stood by their Christmas tree and leaned in. It was their very first Christmas together, both in each other's company as well as a romantic couple. Though they hadn't managed to spend a considerable amount of tme leading up to day in question, they both would have a completely uninterrupted Christmas Day together and that was something worth working toward. Booker cut the lights off and ushered them both to the bedroom where they further disrobed and took on their sleep apparel and laid down for a good night's rest. At least, so the other thought as both schemed to make this Christmas special.

After roughly and hour or so of pretending to sleep, Elizabeth sat up with a faux-foggy demeanor. She heard her lover stir beside her and turned to hush him back to sleep.

"Shh, shh, it's just me. I need to use the restroom. I won't be long." She assured her lover as she stood up and made for the water closet in question. Booker had been somewhat paranoid of letting her out of his site when they first arrived in New York City. It was habit that he very nearly had managed to break, with no thanks to recurring dreams/nightmares of their time in Columbia. But usually, his sleep-addled brain brought back the paranoia with vengeance.

Elizabeth opened the door, turned on the light, and closed the door, all the while crouching low and looked for any sign of movement from the private detective. Nothing, not even a sound save for the even keeled breath of slumber, perfect. Elizabeth quietly crept across the floor and exited the bedroom with the barest peep of noise. The door creeked, but it couldn't be helped and the young woman looked back to see if her metaphorical goose was cooked, but to her surprise, her beloved hadn't stirred once.

Elizabeth left the room, opting not to close the door so as not to risk any further disturbance and bounded across the apartment and into the kitchen to collect her bounty from weeks of careful planning. She opened a small pantry closet which Booker never once even made the attempt to use and found all of her neatly wrapped packages perfectly stacked and undisturbed. Elizabeth crossed the cold tile floor and retrieved a burlap sack so as to carry the gifts in one trip from the kitchen to the tree. The young woman carefully and quietly loaded up her haul and made to exit the kitchen and when she opened door, she was treated to a surprising sight.

There, before the tree, crouched Booker DeWitt with a sack of his own, carefully pulling out wrapped and tagged gifts of his own. His meticulousness nearly made the young woman giggle but she managed to keep her composure as she watched him artfully place packages of various shapes and sizes underneath the Christmas tree in his own thoughtful way of taking care of her. Perhaps what meant most was the fact that even though they had each promised not to buy each other presents, they each ignored the other's oath and went ahead and did it anyway. She watched as he finished, only clutching one remaining gift and giving it a hardy stare.

"Please don't screw this one up, DeWitt." She heard him mutter to himself as he placed it at the forefront of the tree and stood tall to survey his handywork. At which point Elizabeth had a choice, she could wait for her lover to return to the bedroom and go back to sleep to lay out his presents or come out now. Elizabeth smirked and knew the choice was obvious.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Elizabeth proclaimed in an amused tone as she emerged from the doorway, lightly chortling at the sight of a normally composed Booker wheeling around on his heel with wide eyes.

"Woah, Elizabeth, how did you…?" He stammered until he took in the fact that the woman in question held a sack of her own and smiled himself. "Looks like I know a certain someone who needs a refresher course as well." He put his hands at his hips and stepped back and watched as his love and joy knelt down to place her own presents to him beneath the Christmas tree. He was shocked to say the least as he wasn't certain exactly where, when, or how she would have managed to procure so many gifts but when it came to all matters Elizabeth, Booker had come to know better than to ask.

"And…done…" Elizabeths delightful tone sang out as she took the best gift in her hands and stood before Booker, God, and the Christmas Tree and offered up the best gift she could provide to her lover. Booker merely gave her a quizzical look.

"I don't understand, what's this?" Booker took the package in his hand and traded looks between it and his lover.

"In my reading, I came across an old European custom to open a gift from the one you hold dear on Christmas Eve. Seeing as both of our stealthy efforts failed us, I've elected to observe that custom. So here, my first gift of Christmas to you." Elizabeth beamed up at him.

Booker was at a loss for words, he certainly hadn't expected Elizabeth to buy him anything much less discover his effort to provide her the merriest of Christmases. But he wasn't about to let the moment slip buy and retrieved his most prized gift to her from the tree skirt and offered it to the lovely woman in question who frowned in confusion.

"Well, if we are to observe such a custom, then I suppose it's only natural that we each have a gift to unwrap. Isn't that right?" Booker said smartly as he smiled down at the girl who blushed and nodded.

"Can't argue with that logic." She laughed and shook her head in amusement. "Now don't just stand there, open it up! Please." Elizabeth added lastly with the subtlest hint of impatience. Booker laughed at the small woman's exuberance before he took to examining the package. It was heavy and wrapped in a fine material, it was almost a travesty to destroy such an effort to get to the prize within but he doubted Elizabeth would hear of such a thing so he set to tearing through the paper.

Within the paper confines he found a rick oak box, somewhat similar to the cigar box Robert and Rosalind had given him nearly half a year ago, but it was much finer and a tad larger than that. On the front was a locking mechanism which Booker carefully unclasped and opened the ornate box and his eyes face befell a look of utter shock and adoration. Inside the box was a white foam in which the a beautiful golden framed timepiece lay; on either side where a short and long chain dependent solely on the wearers predilection for accouterment. Booker retrieved the small timepiece and held it in his hand. He depressed the rear lid and saw there was an inscription that lay within. He tilted his head as he began to read.

'_A slight token of my affection to count the seconds of our love. Merry Christmas. Elizabeth.'_

Tears formed in Booker's eyes, he couldn't believe both the effort that Elizabeth had gone to acquire such a piece as well as the beauty and perfection of the craftsmen ship. He noticed the watch was keeping perfect time and that childlike wonder befell him oncemore. He attempted to speak but found his voice hindered by the well of emotion forming deep within.

"I don't…I can't…how did…" He began but Elizabeth merely blinked and noded.

"Merry Christmas, my love. You dote on me night and day, and I found it was only fair to give you that which you desire most. Though I must admit, I cheated lightly to find that design, I do hope it is to your liking." She said with hope filling her voice.

"This…this is…Elizabeth, it's perfect. Albeit not as much as yourself, but this—" He gulped and looked at her with determination. "I shall take the utmost care of this gift and I promise to carry it with me as a remembrance of your love." He leaned in and gave her soulful kiss upon the lips. By the time they broke, each was panting with haughty breath and blushes painted their cheeks. Booker observed Elizabeth who stood there holding his gift and gave her an expectant look.

"Well, don't just stand there, open yours as well." He said rather impatiently.

"I will, just give me a moment, I want to savor and remember as much of this moment as humanely possible." Elizabeth uttered as she closed her eyes and desperately attempted to imprint the night in the deepest depths of her memories. Granted she could always open a tear and look back upon this moment, but something about experiencing it internally, eternally, was incomparable. In moments, she took a deep breath and opened her brilliant blue eyes once more to meet Booker's calming pools of green. She wanted to fall into his arms right then and there but now was not the time and so she mustered the strength to stand on her own.

"Okay." She breathed in a deep inhale and let out a loud exhale. "Sorry about that, just wanting to preserve the moment." Elizabeth apologized but Booker assured her that no such apology was necessary as he gestured for his dearest beloved to open her gift.

Elizabeth looked at the paper and a tear dropped down her cheek. The wrapping was shoddy at best, the dimensions were off, the bow was disjointed, and it appeared as though whoever wrapped the gift had barely any coordination at all. But to the heiress of Columbia, it was perfect. Every misshapen corner, every hastily made tape-job, all of it, it screamed of the hardiest of efforts, the greatest of endeavors by one desperately and decidedly out of his element. It meant the world to her that he would make the attempt to wrap and that would, perhaps, be forever lost on him.

She tore through the wrappings and by the time she reached her prize she nearly dropped the object in utter surprise. The tome was a brilliant adornment of flowery arrangement filled with reds, blues, greens, reds, and gold, all with a gilded binding of fleur de le flourish. At the top of the binding the heading read, _'_

_Elemens De La Philosophie De Neuton' _and beneath it with a singular word _'Voltaire'._ At the bottom of the binding was imprinted, in similar gold lettering to the former, _Presentation Copy First Edition 1739. _Elizabeth was shocked to say the least, she had quite a collection back in her tower and she had read a copy of such a book, but she had yearned for a first edition even then. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine holding such a priceless piece of literature in her hands, much less owning it for her very own.

"I don't understand…how did you…I mean, I'm sorry.. but…" Elizabeth looked down at the book and back up at her savior and back down again. She knew they weren't made of money by any means and such a tome belonged either in a highlty established museum or within the clutches of a wealthy collector, not in her hands, not without tears. How did Booker DeWitt managed to collect such priceless piece of history.

"Remember that job I had to take a few weeks back?" He asked and the starstruck girl nodded. "Well, he wanted to thank me for a job well done…and well…I listened to you over the months and I figured this was the best I could do…I mean, I don't know much so if It's not what you like maybe I can…" Booker started to backpeddle but was stopped when a soft pair of lips collided with his own.

Elizabeth had rushed up to her lover to silence his attempt to apologize for a perceived slight. She couldn't believe her fortune, granted it was unexpected for men to listen to their lovers in this day and age, must less act upon their desires, but here her very own Booker DeWitt had done both and in spades nonetheless. She was in heaven right now, such a feeling of love and warmth filled her so completely that it made every minute of isolation within her tower worth it.

This, this right here, must be that Christmas spirit that she so often read about. It wasn't buying something for someone else. It wasn't wrapping presents, or decorating trees, or houses, or even making merry with those around you. It wasn't the carols, or the hymns, or any of the earthly means. It was kindness, pure, simple, unadulterated, unequivocal, and unexpected kindness shown to one most deserving. She knew to high heaven that she loved Booker DeWitt then and there, more than life itself. Of course she had made a promise to spend the remainder of her days on earth with the man, but something about his efforts to go the extra mile for her made it all the more sure. She pulled back and cradled his neck in her small and slender hands and offered a sultry smile.

"Merry Christamas, Booker." She said in a tone that belied her deepest devotion. Book blinked several times as he had been taken aback by the ferocity and emotion driven kiss before he recomposed his thoughts; truly the Lord had given him a second chance with Elizabeth and he was damn sure he was gonna get it right this time. Always and forever would he be hers and she his.

"Merry Christmas, Elizabeth." He uttered softly and pulled her in for another passionate kiss and warm embrace before picking her up bridal style and carrying her into their shared chambers where they spent the remainder of then night and a few of the early hours sharing their love for one another.

The End.

* * *

**End Note: Well, that was certainly fun. Unfortunately this story took a little longer than I was anticipating so I doubt I'll get the Frozen one out on time, but assuming that's the case I can always make it a post-christmas present. I mean who doesn't love those! Anyway, once again, Merry Christmas everyone!**

**This is TheLifeLongEditor! Signing off!**


End file.
